Marvel’s rehabilitation of Spider-Man took off like a rocket with the reintroduction of young Peter Parker into the MCU, followed by the astoundingly good Spider-Man: Homecoming. Now, the next phase of the rehabilitation is shooting into the stratosphere with the Sony Pictures Animation film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
I love animation, and frankly, I haven’t seen animation look this good in a long time. It’s an odd combination of 3D and traditional that makes Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) jump off the screen. The style really does make the character and the city of New York larger than life. Every scene is practically electric.
There’s also just the fact that we’re finally seeing more treatment given to Morales, who is the comic book canon Spider-Man nowadays. There’s been a bit of a turf war between fans over who should be the canonical film Spider-Man. Fans of Miles have also been concerned that Marvel’s only concerned about diversity in the back of the house, as it were, instead of the front–while Marvel consistently boasts about it’s diversity within its pages, it’s been hard to get that same type of diversity on screen. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse finally gives Marvel a way to showcase all facets of their canon and give all fans the Spider-Man they want to see, whether that’s Peter or Miles. The next step: getting Miles into the live-action movies.
Okay, now to the moodboards (and what beautiful moodboards they are).
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is coming to theaters Christmas 2018.
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Are y’all ready for a new Powerpuff Girl?
Big news coming out of Cartoon Network is that their popular characters, the Powerpuff Girls, will get a new sister, and she’ll be black.
According to Geeks of Color, the new character, which sports blue hair, can be seen in the international marketing reel for Cartoon Network.
There’s no word on what her name will be or what her powers are going to be, but the character’s voice actress, South African singer Toya Delazy, has released this image of her in the recording booth.
AND JUST LIKE THAT, I BECAME A POWERPUFF GIRL ?????
Much love to my @cartoonnetwork for trusting me with this epic job ?❤️️#lifegoals pic.twitter.com/ZshJT8VWR0— ToyaDelazy (@ToyaDelazy) September 7, 2017
I’ll be honest—it’s been a while since I’ve last seen The Powerpuff Girls; I haven’t touched the reboot yet. But I am intrigued to see how this new Powerpuff will interact with the other characters and how she’ll positively influence current fans and new ones alike.
The newest Powerpuff Girl will make her debut Sept. 17.
❤️??…?? #PowerpuffGirls pic.twitter.com/YseLCdhmLc
— Cartoon Network (@cartoonnetwork) September 6, 2017
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Before comic book bros get on my butt, please re-read the headline of this post. It states THE ANIMATED SERIES
Why? Because of his skintone. Maybe we were ignorant in the ’90s (which is a fair case to make), but it was rare you saw a white person in a cartoon that was painted with a serious tan. Also, his facial anatomy was certainly not Anglo-Saxon, if you get what I’m saying.
The “Lex Luthor is a light-skinned black dude” gets especially hardcore when you look at this screencap from Comic Vine of Luthor next to an actual black character (if I’m not mistaken, this is Steel before he became Steel, and also before he realized he was working for a villain).
Think I’m making up this controversy and confusion? Just click this link, which you take you to a Google search I did. There were and still are people asking if the animated Lex Luthor was black.
But the real truth is that Lex isn’t black. He’s not even Italian (which was my theory growing up). According to one of the Comic Vine commenters, Lex’s look is based on Greek-American actor Telly Savalas, who was big in the 1970s for playing the detective Theo Kojak on the show “Kojak.” According to the Comic Viner, though, the DC Animated Universe Lex is based on Savalas in On Her Majesty’s Service, in which he played Blofeld. In any case, a side-by-side shows how undeniable it is that Savalas and Lex are one in the same. Knowing Savalas is the basis for DCAU Lex also explains why this Lex has infinite swag and sex appeal (Due to “Kojak” and Theo’s swagger, including his signature line of “Who loves ‘ya, baby?”, Savalas was a huge sex symbol back in the day.)
(Fun fact: Savalas was a journalist for ABC News before he became a huge Hollywood star. He also studied psychology and was a WWII soldier.)
So mystery solved: Lex Luthor is Greek.
Are you one of those folks that could have sworn up and down that Lex was black? Give your opinions in the comments section below!
I love cartoons and I’m sure you love cartoons. But despite the plethora of amazing cartoons out there, there still isn’t enough diversity in the genre. The Weeklings, though, plans on changing that.
The Weeklings is an animated series featuring characters based on the days of the week. “Set in a surreal world in which anything can happen, the series chronicles the everyday adventures of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” states the show’s Kickstarter page. “Each character has the personality of how each day feels.”
The show is created and directed by African-American animator and founder of Flydra Creative Jabril Mack. The series will “advance cultural representation in animation by highlighting cultures and ethnic groups that are not traditionally shown in cartoons.” From the official press release:
Los Angeles-based animation studio, Flydra Creative aims to increase cultural representation in cartoons with their latest project, an animated comedy called, The Weeklings. Set in a surreal world in which anything can happen, The Weeklings chronicles the everyday adventures of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Each character personifies the characteristics of the day of the week they are named after. While Monday’s eccentric personality is off-putting to many, Friday’s natural charisma draws everyone in!
Creator and director of The Weeklings, Jabril Mack, wants to give people of all races, ethnicities, and sexual orientations the opportunity “to see a little of themselves in a cartoon”. He intends to combat the lack of cultural representation in mainstream media by drawing diverse characters everyone can relate to.
“The goal of the series is to celebrate diversity”, Mack says. He and his team at Flydra have spent the last year researching holidays and celebrations from all over the world to bring to life for the show. Characters like Diwali (inspired by the ancient Indian festival), Quinceanera, (inspired by the Mexican tradition), and many more will allow The Weeklings to highlight cultures and ethnic groups that are not traditionally shown in animation.
Check out the official trailer and clip from the show:
If you’re loving what you’re seeing, there’s a way to help make The Weeklings a fully-realized project. Flydra Creative has set up a Kickstarter for The Weeklings, and with 21 days left in their campaign, they’ve already met their initial $20,000 goal. However, the more money they get, the better The Weeklings can become. Make sure to check out their Kickstarter and donate what you can. The campaign ends Nov. 7. Make sure to follow The Weeklings at its website as well as on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
What do you think about The Weeklings? Give your opinions in the comments section below!
